Shaft mounting and apron tightener for conveyers



W. WEBBER April 16, 1929.

SHAFT MOUNTING AND APRON TIGHTENER FOR CONVEYERS Filed June 14, 1.926

Elven/$707 2' mzzim may.

Patented Apr. 16, 1929.

UNITED: STATE-S PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM WEBBER, OF LA GRANGE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL HAR- VESTER COMPANY, A CORIORATION F NFAV JERSEY.

snu'r MOUNTING AND APRON 'rrGH'rnNER on C0NVEYERS.-

Application flled J 'une 14, 1926. Serial 1510. 115,734. a

This disclosure relates to an invention in shaft mountings and conveyer apron tighteners such as may be used in connection with conveyers of many types and especially in connection with conveyers which'a-re now generally used in harvesting machinery, such as grain binders and the like.

p In grain binders and similar machines employing roller mounted endless aprons for the purpose of conveying material, it is desirable when the machine is not in actualuse in the field that/the apron conveyors he loosened to slacken the tension of the apronso as to prevent injury thereto, which might becaused by exposure to weather conditions. It is also desirable that when the machine is in use these conveyers have their aprons tight and under tension so that they will will efficiently handle the materials to be conveyed.

Accordingly it is the main object of tl invention to provide an improved shaft mounting for the roller carrying shafts of such endless apron conveyers incombination with an adjusting mechanism which will permit ready loosening or tightening of the conveyer apron,

It is a further object to p ovide a construction of thistype which will be very simple and, therefore, commit itself to commercial use and exploitation because'its very simplicity lends it to manufacture at a low cost Other objects of the-invention will become apparent to those skilled, in this art, as this disclosure continues. i V These very desirable objects are accomplished, briefly, in conveyingme'chanism embodying side frames, journal boxes slidably carried in the side frames, a .roller carrying shaft journalcd in the boxes, in'combination with amanually actuated crank or rock shaft, which has connections in the form of toggle levers with the bearing boxes insuch a manner that upon actuation of the said rock shaft the toggle connections will move the bearing boxes and rotatable shaft in the'side frames to move the roller shaft carried thereby in a direction either to tighten or loosen a con veyer apron which may be trained around the roller on the shaft. Reference should now be made to the accompanying sheet of drawings in which like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein,-

Figure 1 is a plan view of one end of a conveyer of the type employed in a grain binder;

Figure 2 is an end view showing the parts in the positions which they will assume when the eonveyer apron has been tightened; and

Figure 8 is a similar view showing the -po sitions of the parts when the convcyer apron has been loosened.

It is to be understood here that only an illustrative en'lbodim'enc of the invention is herein disclosed and for this purpose the same has been illustrated inconnection with the conventional structure of a grain binder conveyer mechanism, embodying a pair of spaced conveyer frames 10, each'slidably and rockably carrying therein a journal box 11 in which is journaled a wooden shaft or roller '12. These bearing boxes 11, it will'be observed, are longitudinally slidable in elon gated slots-13 formed in the side frames.

Each bearing box is provided with an arm 14, said arm being fixed to the boxes 11 and being provided at its rear end with a pin extension 15. Spaced in parallelism from the shaft-or roller 12 is a rock shaft 16 carried in the side frames 10, one end thereof being formed with a square portion 17 for the reception of a wrench so'that this shaft may be rocked or actuated manually, as will be the arm 14 in effect formsa toggle lever, the

breaking point: 15 of'which is so positioned with respect to the axes of the shafts 12 and 16 that the parts will automatically lock themselves below dead center, as shown in Figure 2,.when the apron istightened. In this position it will further be seen that the free end 19 of the lever 18 will abut againstthebearing box 11 and thus prevent accidental disv placement of the parts. 7

In using the improved tightener and shaft mounting of this invention, an operator, if he desires to tighten the canvas by moving the roller or shaft 12 from the position shown in Figure 3 to the position in Figure 2, merely rocks the shaft 16 by any suitable hand crank thereby rocking the bell crank or lever 18 in a manner which will cause the arm 14 to slide anism, Which is at the point 15, will drop be. low dead center. If it is desired to lay the grain binder by at the end of the days work and is'decmed advisable to loosen the canvas, the rock shaft 16 is merely rocked in an Opposite direction and the toggle mechanism will pull the shaft 12 rearwardly, as shown in Figure 3, and the apron will be loosened.

From the above description i \illlbfi seen that this invention achieves all of the desirable objects heretofore stated and that the same is of simple construction with a minimum of parts which are not likely to get out of order or cause trouble in the field.

In conclusion, it should be understood that only an illustrative embodiment of the invention has been disclosed and that undoubtedly the same will readily lend itself to re arrangement of parts and modification of structure Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is the intention to cover all such changes as may fall Within the definition of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. ina 'shaft mounting, the combination of a frame, a shaft, a bearin box for the shaft slidably mounted in the frame, and a bell crank lever pivoted atone end to the frame and at an intermediate point directly to the box for sliding the box and shaft in the frame upon actuation of the lever, the free end of said bell crank lever serving to lock the box in adjusted position.

2. In an apron tightener, the combination of side frames, bearing boxes carrying a roller shaft slidably mounted in the frames, an apron conveyor on said roller shaft, and rockable toggle means pivoted on the frames and connected to the boxes for moving the shaft to tighten theapron conveyor and for locking.

apron conveyor and to lock the boxes in their adjusted positions.

l. In an apron tightener, the combination of side frames, bearing boxes carrying a roller shaft slidably mounted in the frames, an apron conveyor on said roller shaft, a rockable shaft mounted in the side frames adjacent the roller shaft, and toggle means on the rockable shaft and connected to the bearing boxes for sliding the roller shaft and boxes in the frames and to lock them in adjusted position.

5. in an apron tightener, the combination of side frames, bearing boxes carrying a roller shaft slidably mounted in the frames, an apron conveyer on said roller shaft, a rockable shaft mounted in the side frame adjacent the roller shaft, crank levers fast on from, and a second arm rockably carried in the frame and pivotally connected intermediately of its ends to the free end of the first arm reform a toggle connection for adjusting and locking the box in the frame.

7. Ina shaft mounting, the combination of a frame, a shaft rotatably carried in a journal box slidably mounted in the frame, arock shaft adjacent the rotatable shaft, and a toggle link connecting" the tivo shafts, Whereby upon actuation of the rock shaft the rotatable shaft and bearing box Will be moved in the frame. i

8. In a shaft mounting, the combination of a frame, a rotatable shaft carried in a journal box slidably mounted in the frame, a rock shaft adjacent the rotatable shaft, and a toggle link connecting the bearing box ofthe rotatable shaft With the rock shaft, the breale i ng point of the toggle link being so arranged 7 that upon actuation of the rock shaft and slidable movement ofthe bearing box and rotatable shaft the parts will automatically be held to lock the rotatable shaft in position.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM WEBBER. 

